Love and friendship
Posted
by Abby Koop
in Harry Potter Lexicon Minute
It is pretty well-established at this point that love is a central theme in the Harry Potter saga, but the more sinister side of obsessive love doesn’t get quite the same attention. We see it most clearly when love potions are involved, most notably in the case with Voldemort’s… Read More
Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in Harry Potter Lexicon Minute
The theme of separation is in full swing in this chapter. Harry himself notes that things are not as rosy and cheerful as he’d hoped upon returning to Hogwarts. He thinks: Between the absence of Hagrid and the presence of those dragonish horses, he had… Read More
Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in Harry Potter Lexicon Minute
Welcome to chapter fourteen. The sun is shining! As we’ve been noting the relationship between the weather and Harry’s experiences and mood, that means today should be a great day. And sure enough, Harry’s Saturday starts out spectacularly well. He wakes up to the sun… Read More
Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in Harry Potter Lexicon Minute
While I read these chapters, I always look for something interesting to record a podcast about. When I read chapter 21, no one thing stood out as the topic to discuss, but a couple of tidbits did catch my eye. I’ll run through them for you. First, I hadn’t… Read More
Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in Harry Potter Lexicon Minute
And now we’re to chapter 24 of Order of the Phoenix. This is not one of my favorite chapters of the book. I’m struck again how much I dislike certain characters, in this case Snape and Sirius. And since I know that this is the last time we’ll… Read More
Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in Harry Potter Lexicon Minute
Two very important things happen in chapter 25 of Order of the Phoenix. I’m not talking about Harry’s disastrous date with Cho, which, let’s face it, is just horrible. I cringe as I read it and yes, I do recognize those kinds of awkward moments… Read More
Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in Harry Potter Lexicon Minute
Chapter 26 of Order of the Phoenix is completely packed. I mean it, this chapter is like a rich tapestry. I’ll just wander through the text, pointing out things here and there. It starts with Hermione’s delightful explanation for Harry of Cho’s behavior during their disastrous date, which includes… Read More
Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in Harry Potter Lexicon Minute
There is so much to love in chapter 29 of Order of the Phoenix. The focus if the first part of the chapter is Harry’s meeting with McGonagall to discuss plans for his future, memorably attended by Umbridge. At the end of the chapter, we watch Fred and… Read More
Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in Harry Potter Lexicon Minute
We’ve reached chapter 30 of Order of the Phoenix and as always, there’s a lot to talk about here. The castle is in chaos. The students are in full rebellion against Umbridge, and the teachers are too apparently. Filch is having to transport students across the… Read More
Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in Harry Potter Lexicon Minute
Hermione says something very important in chapter 32 of Order of the Phoenix, something which helps define the overarching plot of the entire seven-book series. When Harry is frantically describing the vision he had of Sirius captured and tortured by Voldemort in the Department of Mysteries, Hermione tries to… Read More
Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in Harry Potter Lexicon Minute
You know what strikes me about chapter five of Order of the Phoenix? I really, really don’t like most of the characters in it. I don’t like Harry, I don’t like Sirius, I don’t like Molly … I don’t like any of them. But this is a tribute to… Read More